Abadan: Oil City Dreams and the Nostalgia

The dominant literature mostly treats oil in terms of economy or geopolitics: it is a commodity, and as money, it impacts on states and politics. More nuanced research has instead focused on the social and cultural impact of oil as seen from below, within communities. By conceding oil historical agency on the border between man and nature, this research enables us to better understand its role in shaping and affecting people, classes and cities, myths and emotions.